


Crisis

by ExploringWonders



Series: Crisis Trilogy [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Identity Reveal, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Redemption, Gen, Good Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Good Parent Gabriel Agreste, Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, Hurt Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur, OC, OC villain - Freeform, Villains to Heroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:08:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28674972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExploringWonders/pseuds/ExploringWonders
Summary: "Now are you ready to tell me what's going on?"The voice behind him nearly made Gabriel jump out of his skin. He turned, eyes frantically searching the room before they rested on his assistant. "Natalie! Oh, thank goodness, it's just you.""What is that supposed to mean?" She asked. "What happened?"Gabriel all but collapsed into his office chair. "Malefactor captured Chat Noir."Determined to get back on track after his last defeat, Gabriel akumatizes someone without fully comprehending their power. When this super-akuma captures Chat Noir, he decides he can't be controlled, and Gabriel has to decide how many lines he's willing to cross to get his wish.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Crisis Trilogy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2101596
Comments: 14
Kudos: 67





	1. The First Bad Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawk Moth doesn't do his research, and Adrien doesn't like being woken up by explosions at three in the morning.

"No!" Hawk Moth's staff split in two under his grip, and he winced, letting the pieces fall to the floor. He went to his knees, staring at his sliced palm as the butterflies fluttered around him. "I was so close," he whispered. "Why am I always so close?"

His hand curled into a fist and slammed into the floor. "One day," he said. "One day, Ladybug and Chat Noir, you'll pay." He returned to his feet and stared at the window looming over him. "Even if it takes one million akumas, you'll pay."

He knew the whole song and dance. Ladybug and Chat Noir do their cliché little fist bump, Chat Noir starts flirting, and Ladybug rolls her eyes before she leaves. It was sickening even to think about.

Maybe one day he'd change the routine.

“Dark wings, fall.”

He pulled a remote out of his pocket, pressing the button that closed the window. As the room fell into darkness, he pressed another button and descended into the floor.

On the other side, his desk awaited him. On it, there was a white butterfly trapped in a jar, a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, and a small device. He sat down, staring at his creation in awe before going back to work on it.

The idea had come to him after a promising akuma had failed him just under a year ago:  _ What if Ladybug's and Chat Noir's powers stopped working?  _ Now, thanks to his idea, they just might.

Given that he had no knowledge of technology's inner workings, the project was a great undertaking. He'd done his research, finding articles after articles on the subject, but now that it was finished, all that was left to do was test it.

"Nooroo, dark wings--"

A loud thud above him caused him to jump, and he looked up at the ceiling. "Adrien?"

His curiosity begged him to investigate, but his ambition kept his feet planted. He glanced at the device in his hand as he allowed the latter to wave the previous thought out of his mind. "Nooroo--"

He heard a crash come from the second floor. His paternal instincts took over, and he dropped everything, bolting out of his office and up the stairs.

o0o

He had one minute.

Chat Noir panted as he raced across the rooftops, determined to get back before that minute ran out. He was almost to his house when his ring flashed.

_ I'm not going to make it. _

He spotted his bedroom window and made a desperate leap for it. Transforming back in midair, he flew through the open window. His foot caught the edge of the glass and he flipped over, landing on his back and sliding across the floor. His head hit the bookcase with a thud.

Once the room stopped spinning, he sat up and rubbed his now sore back. " _ Ow _ ," he whimpered.

"I'll give you a nine for the jump," his kwami said, "but I think the landing stuck  _ you _ ."

"Haha Plagg, that's so funny," He pretended to laugh, sarcasm flowing off of him in waves. He reached for one of the shelves above him, but when he tried to pull himself up, it broke, sending a fencing trophy down onto his nose. "Ow!"

His kwami stifled a laugh. "Not a word," Adrien warned. He stood, noticing a picture frame lying on the floor. He flipped it over, and jagged pieces of glass spilled onto the floor. The picture the glass was meant to protect was of Nino, Alya, Marinette, and himself. When it shattered, the glass had scratched the picture along Marinette's eye. "No," he whispered, cradling the paper in his hands.

"Adrien!" The door flew open, and his father ran inside. Spotting the boy, he rushed to his side. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?"

“Yeah…” Adrien kept his eyes on the picture. "Yeah, I’m fine."

A drop of blood landed on the floor in front of the boy. "Oh my God, your nose." He took Adrien's hand and practically dragged him to the bathroom. He grabbed a washcloth and got it wet in the sink. "Hold this on your nose," he said, handing it to his son. "How did this happen?"

Adrien pressed the washcloth onto his face. "Um… I think I was sleepwalking," he decided.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Gabriel asked again. He watched as the white washcloth quickly turned red. “Do I need to call a doctor?”

“Yeah-- I mean--” Adrien stumbled over his words. “Yes, I’m fine. No, you don’t need to call a doctor.”

Gabriel sighed in relief. “It appears you have everything under control, then.” He made his way to the door. “I’ll let you take care of…” He gestured to the blood on Adrien’s jacket. “ _ That _ .”

Before his son could say anything else, Gabriel had disappeared behind the door. Plagg flew out of Adrien’s jacket with a disappointed look on his face. “And the award for Father of the Year goes to…”

“Cut him some slack,” Adrien argued. “He’s probably really busy.”

o0o

When Gabriel stepped back into his office, he was greeted with a blanket of silence. He quietly locked the door behind him and checked the room to make sure he wasn’t being watched. “Nooroo.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Dark wings, rise.” The magic quickly washed over him.

He picked up one of the devices and pressed it onto his Miraculous. He immediately felt weaker, which meant it was working. He smiled and reached for the jar, unscrewing the lid and cupping the butterfly in his hands.

On any normal occasion, the butterfly would turn purple and black in his hands, but this was no normal occasion. His device was working. “Beautiful,” he whispered, staring in awe at the white butterfly as its wings gently fluttered up and down. He carefully put the creature back inside its jar.

_ Now to remove it. _

He tried using his thumb to flick the device off of his Miraculous, but it didn’t budge. Then he tried prying it off with his fingernail, which almost caused him to lose that fingernail.

_ Merde. _

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the pliers on his desk. He picked them up and used them to grab the device. Without any effort at all, the device snapped off, and the Miraculous began to glow.

Gabriel smiled again, grabbing the jar and turning to Emilie’s portrait. As the floor opened, he removed the jar’s lid and cupped the butterfly in his hands. With the device gone, the butterfly turned purple and black, and when the floor came to rest in front of the large window, he sent it off into the night.

His victim was a young man. The source of his pain, Hawk Moth couldn’t decipher, but there was a certain hatred that burned like fire in his heart. When the akuma settled onto the bottle cap he was holding, Hawk Moth grinned at the man’s potential.

“Malefactor,” he said. “I give you the power to alter your reality, to bend matter to your will. All I ask in return is that you bring me Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s Miraculous. Do we have a deal?”

The young man thought his proposition over for a moment. “Sounds good,” he decided. “When do I start?”

The villain was taken aback by his response. “Um…” he paused. “Now?”

“Alright, but on one condition.” Malefactor stood. “You don’t make me look like a clown.”

Hawk Moth chuckled at the response. “As you wish.”

o0o

Adrien woke up to the sound of an explosion. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing at the alarm clock beside his bed.

"It's three in the morning," he complained. "What's Hawk Moth doing awake at three in the morning?"

He looked around the room for his kwami. "Plagg?"

"Up here," Plagg answered from the nest he had made in Adrien's hair. "You gonna transform or what?"

"Alright, alright," he said. "Plagg, claws out!"


	2. The Next Wrong Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawk Moth's new akuma Malefactor meets Hawk Moth face-to-face and brings a very angry gift.

Gabriel sat behind his desk, tapping a pencil against its soft, wooden surface and staring at the clock on the wall. Its second hand had completed fifteen circles since his eyes had taken a liking to the simple machine.

Eventually, he drew in a slow breath, removing his gaze from the clock and leaning back into his chair. His eyes seemed to close on their own.

"Sir, Monsieur Toussaint is on the phone, and he's insisting that he speak with you." Natalie walked through the door, a phone in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. "Would you like to--" She glanced up from the papers and paused, noticing her boss had fallen asleep. She smiled, placing the papers on his desk, and shutting the door behind her as she left.

She held the phone back up to her ear. "Hello, Monsieur Toussaint? I'm sorry, but Monsieur Agreste can't come to the phone right now." She ignored the man's protests and hung up the phone.

"Way to show 'em who's boss." A voice congratulated her.

Natalie dropped the phone where she stood and studied the room. "Who's there? Who said that?"

"Calm down, lady. It's just me." Her eyes moved to an open window, where a pair of red eyes pierced the blackness outside. As they leaped through the window, she discovered the eyes belonged to a young man. "The name's Malefactor." Not waiting for an invitation, he took her hand and shook it. "I'm here on official Hawk Moth business." He glanced down at her ringless hand with sudden interest. "And who might  _ you _ be?"

Natalie quickly pulled her hand away. "Not interested," she answered.

"Oh, my bad. I didn't mean it like that. I--" He glanced around the room. "I'm looking for Hawk Moth. I checked his lair, but I couldn't find him. Am I at the right house?"

"You're not supposed to be here," Natalie answered. "Did Gab-- Hawk Moth tell you what you're supposed to be doing?"

"Yeah, yeah, he told me. He's really predictable." He began looking around for any sign of his master. "But I need to talk to him. Do you know where he is?"

Natalie sighed. "Fine. I'll go get him. Just say what you need to say and then leave, got it?"

"Absolutely."

She opened a door and stepped inside. After a minute or two, she returned, followed by a semi-groggy Hawk Moth.

"What do you want?" The older man asked.

"Um…" Malefactor gestured to Natalie. "Should she be..?"

Hawk Moth sighed. "Natalie, could you give us a minute?"

"Of course, sir." Natalie slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"There, she's gone. Now what do you want?"

"I have a surprise for you." Malefactor smiled, standing before the older man like a dog waiting to be scratched behind the ear. "It's in your lair."

o0o

This is what he knew.

It was dark. Everything around him was tinted green because of his night vision, though aside from dome-shaped walls and support beams, there wasn’t much to look at.

He also knew that his chest hurt. It was a dull yet persistent pain when he stayed still, but when he tried to move…

It was the kind of thing you only try once.

He knew he was lying on his side against a cold, concrete floor. He had tried to roll onto his back, but the pain wouldn’t let him.

Ladybug was missing. Noticing that took him longer than he’d like to admit.

His hands were tied behind his back, and a piece of duct tape stretched over his mouth.

_ Maybe  _ I'm _ the one who's missing. _

His faux ears perked up at the sound of gears turning underneath the floor. Two figures slowly rose from the ground in the center of the room. Multiple puzzle pieces snapped together when he recognized both of them.

_ This isn’t good. _

“Et, voila!” The younger villain gestured to him with excitement. The older one stared at him with confusion, surprise, and… was that horror?

He struggled to free himself, momentarily ceasing to care about the pain it caused him. Though with the way he was writhing around on the floor, it probably looked more like he was having a seizure.

“I only wanted his Miraculous,” was all Hawk Moth had to say.

“I know,” Malefactor answered, “but Ladybug kept her distance after I took down the cat, so I couldn’t get hers.” He glanced down proudly at his catch. “I thought you’d like this.”

“Oh, I do.” The older villain picked the hero up off the floor and leaned him against a wall. “I think we can put him to good use.”

A chill ran up Chat Noir’s spine as the words left Hawk Moth’s mouth.  _ Not good. This is definitely not good.  _ He lifted his foot to kick Hawk Moth in the shins, but the villain dropped him before he could make contact. He hit the floor with a painful thud.

“I need to retrieve something,” Hawk Moth told his akuma. “Untie him while I’m gone.”

He disappeared underneath the floor and returned to his office. Natalie was waiting for him there. “What did he want?”

“He found something,” Hawk Moth answered. “Something big.” He grabbed one of the devices he’d created earlier and quickly went back to the portrait. “I don’t have time to explain right now, but I’ll tell you everything later. I promise.”

Natalie nodded, and he disappeared again.

He heard the commotion before he saw it.

Chat Noir had pinned Malefactor to the ground, relentlessly throwing punches while the akuma shouted profanities at him. The two were handcuffed to each other, which explained why the hero hadn’t gone out the window yet. Hawk Moth rushed towards the scuffle and pulled Chat Noir off of the villain, who rubbed the blood off of his face with his free hand. The handcuffs shifted into a bottle cap and fell to the floor. Malefactor picked it up and pinned it to his jacket.

The hero thrashed against the villain’s hold, shouting in frustration. When he couldn’t break free, he glared at Malefactor. “You coward!” He screamed.

“You want a piece of me?” The younger villain taunted.

“Stop fighting,” Hawk Moth ordered. “Both of you.”

“Shut up!” Chat Noir shouted. “You can’t tell me what to do! You’re not my dad!”

Hawk Moth twisted the hero’s arm behind his back, locating his Miraculous and placing the device on its flat surface. Chat Noir fell when he let go of him, quickly getting his feet under him and racing towards the closed window.

Malefactor moved to stop the hero, but Hawk Moth grabbed his arm. “Leave him be,” he said.

Chat Noir made it to the window and held out his hand. “Cataclysm!” He shouted, slamming his open palm into the hard metal. He pulled it back immediately, hissing in pain as he cradled his arm. The window hadn’t budged.

The hero stared in confusion at the window, and then at his hand. “Cataclysm,” he yelled again and placed his hand, more gently this time, on the window’s surface. Nothing happened.

Without removing his hand from the window, he began repeating the word. “Cataclysm… Cataclysm…” His voice grew quieter every time. “Cataclysm…” A sniff accompanied his shaking voice, and then another. “Please, Cataclysm.”

Hawk Moth led his new protégé to the trap door, where they disappeared underneath the floor in silence. The silence the akuma quickly broke when they made it back to the top.

“So…” Malefactor said, gesturing to the portrait. “What was that about?”

“I took away his powers. Now he can’t escape.”

“Sweet. Um… What do we do now?”

“You find Ladybug’s Miraculous,” Hawk Moth answered. “I need both for my plan to work.”

“On it.” Malefactor gave a salute and disappeared out the window. Transforming back, Gabriel watched the moonless night for a moment before closing the window.

“Now are you ready to tell me what’s going on?”

The voice behind him nearly made Gabriel jump out of his skin. He turned, eyes frantically searching the room before they rested on his assistant. “Natalie! Oh, thank goodness, it’s just you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” She asked. “What happened?”

Gabriel all but collapsed into his office chair. “Malefactor captured Chat Noir.”

Natalie’s eyes widened. Of all the things she thought he might say, that wasn’t even on the list. “Wow,” she finally said, leaning against his desk. “Did you… Did you take his Miraculous?”

“No,” Gabriel answered. “I don’t know what to do with him.”

“He’s still down there?”

Gabriel nodded, staring at the floor.

“Does Ladybug know about this?”

“Probably,” he answered. “If she does, she’ll be looking for him.”

“What are you going to do?”

Gabriel sat up in his seat, mind racing towards his next step. He glanced at Emilie’s portrait and smiled. “I have an idea.”


	3. True Colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Malefactor interrogates Chat Noir, Marinette is worried, and Gabriel is deeply disturbed.

She’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this.

Early morning rays stretched over the tops of buildings, casting their deep shadows over the streets, where cars meandered along their daily commute. On any other Saturday morning, Marinette would be fast asleep, but now she shuffled down the sidewalk, a messenger on the way to deliver her bad news.

Even now, she’d been clinging to some sliver of hope that Chat Noir had managed to escape, but the half of her that knew better had spent the entire night scouring every dark corner of the city, searching for Malefactor, or at least someone to let her anger out on. Both searches came up empty, and now she had no choice.

Waves of dread washed over her as the little massage shop entered her line of sight. She trudged up the stairs two at a time and gently tapped on the door.

o0o

“I’m here,” Malefactor called as he leaped inside through the open office window. He glanced around the empty room for his violet-clad master before stepping out into the atrium. “I got your message,” he yelled. “Anybody home?”

He heard footsteps above him and turned to see a very tired Gabriel appear at the top of the stairs. “When you said, ‘I’ll be there at dawn,’ I didn’t think you meant it literally.”

“Um…” Malefactor gave him a blank stare as the older man reached the bottom of the stairs. “Who are you?”

“Hawk Moth.”

“Prove it.”

“Dark wings...” Gabriel yawned. “...rise.” Nooroo flew into his Miraculous, illuminating the room with a purple glow. When the light show ended, Hawk Moth stood in Gabriel’s place. “Are you satisfied?” He asked.

“Yep,” Malefactor answered cheerfully. “So how are you going to get him to tell you who Ladybug is?”

“I’ll worry about that later,” he answered, walking past the young man and through a door across the room. Malefactor had to jog to catch up to him. “Right now I just want coffee.”

“Do you think he’ll tell us if we ask?”

“I doubt it.” Hawk Moth poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down. “I don’t know what kind of relationship those two have, but for some reason, the kid thinks he owes her the world.” He emptied the mug in three gulps before pouring himself another. “We’ll have to do a lot more than ask.”

o0o

Chat Noir leaned against the wall of his prison, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his chest as he glanced around the room. Little white butterflies dotted the concrete floor. They went aloft in response to the slightest movement or noise.

The hero snapped his fingers, and the butterflies took off. He grinned and waited for them to land so he could do it again.

When the last butterfly returned to the floor, he lifted his hand to snap again, but the tiny insects scattered before he had the chance.

A part of the floor opened before him, and his captors ascended through the opening. Hawk Moth glanced around the room for a moment before he saw him. "There you are," the villain said. "Did you sleep well?"

Chat Noir frowned.

"I'll take that as a no." Hawk Moth stepped towards him. "I know these aren't the most comfortable living arrangements." He gestured towards the dark room. "But this is the only escape-proof room I have."

"What do you want?" The hero demanded.

"I need your partner's name."

Chat Noir smirked. "It's Ladybug," he said. "I figured you'd know that by now."

The older villain glared at the grinning hero in annoyance. Behind him, Malefactor snickered. “Her other name,” the older villain said.

“Why would I tell you that?”

Malefactor burst into laughter behind him, and Hawk Moth redirected his death glare towards the akuma. “If you think this is so funny, why don’t  _ you _ try getting an answer.”

The akuma stood up straight again, still shaking with laughter. “Okay, okay,” he answered, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. “Just give me a second.”

Hawk Moth and Malefactor switched places. Once he finished laughing, Malefactor looked at the hero. “You’re bold,” he complimented. “Stupid, but bold.”

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow. “Thanks?”

“You’re welcome,” Malefactor answered, removing the Coca-Cola pin from his jacket and tossing it from hand to hand. “But from now on, save the comebacks for someone who can’t hurt you.”

“What?”

Malefactor turned the pin into a switchblade, and in one quick motion, he left an inch-deep gash in the hero’s cheek.

Chat Noir yelped in surprise and covered the wound with his hand. “What was that for?” He shouted.

“Consider it a warning,” Malefactor answered. "I'm not playing games.” He saw another opportunity and shoved the blade dangerously close to the hero’s neck. “Ladybug’s identity. Now.”

Chat Noir didn’t speak until he felt the cold metal brush against his throat. “I… I don’t know.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Tears welled up in the hero’s eyes as he felt the blade pierce his skin. Fear kept his arms locked in place at his side. “Stop!” He screamed.

Malefactor took the blade away, and Chat Noir doubled over until his forehead touched the floor, hands tight around his throat.

“Did you change your mind?” The akuma asked.

The hero was visibly shaking as tears dripped onto the floor underneath him. Quiet sniffles were the only sounds that escaped him.

“Answer me!”

Chat Noir flinched, attempting to provide an answer in between shaky breaths. “I… I don’t know… who she is.”

Malefactor frowned. “Then get up.”

The hero slowly lifted himself off the ground, still clutching his throat with one hand. When he got his knees underneath him, he looked up, only to find the barrel of a pistol aimed between his eyes.

“You have three seconds,” he warned. “If I don’t have my answer by then, I’m pulling the trigger.”

“Please,” Chat Noir begged. Tears spilled down his face and dripped from his chin. “I’m telling the truth.”

“One,” Malefactor growled.

The hero pinched his eyes shut. “I don’t know,” he pleaded.

“Two,” he warned, pressing the barrel against Chat Noir’s forehead.

“Kagami!” He shouted. As soon as the word escaped him, the hero’s eyes shot open, and he threw a hand over his mouth.

Malefactor lowered the gun, letting it turn back into the pin. “What’s Kagami’s last name?” He asked.

“It’s not her,” the boy mumbled, face plastered with fear. “She’s not Kagami. She’s… She’s someone else.”

“Nice try, kid. What’s her last name.”

“Tsurugi,” Hawk Moth interrupted.

Two faces turned their attention to the older man: one of slight interest, and one of horror. Hawk Moth’s face could best be compared to the latter. “We have our information.” He caught himself stumbling over his words. “We can go now.”

They both left the room without another word, leaving Chat Noir to beat himself up in peace.

o0o

“Are... you okay?”

Gabriel was sure his face was pale. He was shaking nearly as badly as the hero in the basement, and in all honesty, he thought he was going to throw up. “I’m fine.”

“So what are we going to do with the kid?”

He felt his previous meal rising in his throat. “I’ll leave you in charge of that. Just make sure you bring me Ladybug’s Miraculous.”

His akuma’s face lit up with excitement. “Really? I mean, yes sir!” He held up his hand to salute.

“Good,” Hawk Moth said. “I’m going to go get some fresh air.”

The akuma leaped out the open window, and Gabriel closed his eyes for a few minutes, waiting for the bile in his throat to settle. When it finally did, he went up the stairs.

He gently knocked on the door outside Adrien’s room. Opening it slightly, he peeked inside and saw no one.

“Adrien?” He stepped inside, ready to throw up again when he found the room empty.

“Natalie!”


	4. The Search & the Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ladybug sends Rena Rouge and Carapace on a wild goose chase, we finally find out how Chat Noir got captured, and Hawk Moth needs information.

_ Adrien woke up to the sound of a distant explosion. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing at the alarm clock beside his bed. _

_ "It's three in the morning," he complained. "What's Hawk Moth doing awake at three in the morning?" _

_ He looked around the room for his kwami. "Plagg?" _

_ "Up here," the kwami answered from the nest he had made in Adrien's hair. "It's probably not Hawk Moth. Go back to sleep." _

_ "Do you have to sleep in my hair  _ every _ night?" _

_ "Yes, now go back to sleep. It's too early for this." _

_ "Someone should tell Hawk Moth that," Adrien answered, throwing his blankets aside and stretching. "You ready to go?" _

_ "Fine," Plagg answered, "but you owe me ten wheels of Camembert when we get back." _

_ "Deal," he agreed. "Claws out!" _

_ The chilly night air greeted him as he leaped through his bedroom window, and he had to thoroughly convince himself not to turn around and go back to bed. _

_ He heard another explosion in the distance and shifted his direction, now heading for the Champs-Élysées. A red spot appeared in the distance, also moving toward the commotion. He smiled and quickened his pace. _

_ Two sets of feet, one slightly after the other, landed lightly on top of the Arc de Triomphe. _

_ "I win," Chat Noir smiled, catching his breath and turning to the spotted girl next to him. _

_ "If you'd tell me when we're racing," she smiled competitively, "you'd be eating my dust right now." _

_ "Okay, deal," he said, returning her smile. "Next time, we race." _

_ "You're on." _

_ The duo leaped onto the street, where people frantically stumbled past each other. In the center of the chaos stood the bottom half of a building, still smoking from the explosion at the top. _

_ “Do you think it’s an akuma?” _

_ “That’d be a safe bet,” Ladybug answered, “but I don’t see anybody. Let’s get everyone to safety first.” _

_ “Roger that, m’lady.” _

o0o

“Are you sure you’re okay, Marinette?”

The girl in question glanced tiredly back at Alya. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a bit stressed out about… fashion, and stuff.”

Alya stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. The people behind them grumbled and slid around the two girls. “I know that’s not all that’s stressing you out,” she said. “You know you can always talk to me about what’s bothering you, right?”

“I know,” Marinette answered, “and I will, but it’s just a big project I’ve been working on, and I--”

“But you just finished a big project. You were so happy until a couple of days ago when…” She took one look at Marinette's face, and she knew. “This is about Adrien, isn’t it?”

Somehow, Marinette managed to deflate even more. "A little," she answered. Her eyes widened, and she took a step back, frantically waving her hands in front of her. "But it's mostly fashion, I promise!"

"Look, Marinette, I know it's hard." Alya put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "But if you ever want to talk about fashion, and stuff, I'm just a phone call away, okay?"

Marinette smiled. "Thank you, Alya."

"No problem," she answered. "And if this  _ is _ about Adrien," she twirled and struck her best superhero pose, "if the police can't find him quickly enough, I'll find him myself!"

Alya kept her silly pose until they both doubled over with laughter, and the two continued to laugh and joke all the way to Alya's house.

"See you tomorrow, girl!" Alya waved as Marinette continued down the sidewalk. When Marinette went around the corner, Alya went inside, promptly dropping her backpack at the door.

She took the stairs two at a time up to her room and, flopping down onto her bed, pulled out her phone and logged on to the Ladyblog.

The new comments were nothing extraordinary. Most were comments about wanting to meet Ladybug and/or Chat Noir. Some people offered their commentary about recent akumas and, as usual, a handful of girls were claiming to be Ladybug again.

She found her email much more interesting.

The first email in her inbox had a video attachment. She opened the email and read:

_ "I noticed there aren't any videos on the Ladyblog about the fight two nights ago. I got it on video, and I figured you'd want to post it. Just please give me credit!" _

Alya gasped in excitement, tapping the play button as fast as possible. It started loading, and Alya waited a few seconds before losing her patience.

" _ Zut, _ " she muttered, getting up and moving to her computer desk.

She pulled back her chair, and a small box fell onto the floor. A sticky note landed softly beside it. She examined the box, and by the design, she guessed what was in it before even picking up the note.

" _ J'ai besoin de ton aide, _ " she read. "I need your help."

In lieu of a signature, there was an address and a ladybug symbol at the bottom.

o0o

_ "Ladybug, over there." _

_ Ladybug followed the direction Chat Noir was pointing and saw a young man standing at the base of the smoldering building, staring at the rising column of smoke. _

_ "I'll handle it," Ladybug called back, already jumping toward him across the rooftops. _

_ She landed behind the young man and took his hand. "I'm sorry, sir, but you need to leave. It's not safe here." _

_ "No," he said, still staring at the building. "I guess it isn't." _

_ He took a step back from the wreckage, eyes still fixed on the smoke. He allowed her to lead him a couple of buildings away before sitting down on the sidewalk. _

_ Ladybug knelt beside him. "Are you okay?" She asked. _

_ The young man rested his head on his knees. "That was my house," he mumbled. _

_ “I am so sorry.” Ladybug rested a hand on his shoulder. “Chat Noir and I will defeat the akuma, and I’ll get your house back to normal. I promise,” she smiled. _

_ The young man chuckled. “I don’t care about the house.” _

_ “What?” _

_ Before Ladybug could say anything more, he shot up and shoved a knife into her stomach. Her suit made sure the knife did nothing to her, but Ladybug still gasped in surprise, falling backward and looking up at him. _

_ The young man stood above her, equally baffled and still holding the knife when-- _

_ “Hey!” _

_ Before either of them could blink, Chat Noir was on him, throwing punches faster than he could block or dodge them. _

_ Chat Noir quickly knocked the knife out of the young man's hand, and Ladybug watched as a dark purple haze swept over it. When the haze dissipated, a pair of glasses sat in the knife's place. _

_ Ladybug gasped. _

_ "Chat! He's the akuma!" _

o0o

When Rena Rouge made it to the address on the note, she found Ladybug pacing anxiously back and forth in an alley and Carapace standing nearby.

"I'm here," she announced. Ladybug turned to her, worry written plainly on her face. "He still hasn’t shown up?"

"No," Ladybug answered. “Has anyone said anything about him on the Ladyblog?”

“Just the usual,” Rena Rouge answered. “People claiming to be him, people saying they’ve met him, people wanting to meet him. I think one comment was a declaration of love, but there wasn’t anything about him going missing.”

Ladybug sighed. “Then we’ll search.” She gestured to the alley they were standing in. “This is the last place I saw him. He had to have left some sort of clue for us.”

The alley looked more like a battlefield, and by Ladybug’s description, it probably was. A dumpster lay on its side in the back corner with heaps of garbage spilling out and piled next to it. The ground was littered with stray trash, and the smell of the place was nearly enough to make Rena Rouge gag.

She took a step forward and felt something sharp underneath her foot. She looked down and found a broken pair of glasses. “This is going to take a while,” she muttered.

o0o

_ “Chat! He’s the akuma!” _

_ Ladybug’s warning distracted Chat Noir just long enough for the akuma to get his bearings and grab the hero’s wrist, sending him crashing into a nearby dumpster with enough force that it tipped over. _

_ He lunged toward Ladybug, who blocked his attacks in exchange for being backed into a corner. He threw another punch, and she ducked, allowing his hand to smash into the wall behind her. She stepped out of the way just in time as Chat Noir’s staff hit the akuma’s back and slammed him into the wall. _

_ With the akuma preoccupied by her partner, Ladybug stepped on the pair of glasses and waited a moment for the akuma to fly out of them. _

_ Nothing happened. _

_ “Nice try.” _

_ Ladybug turned to the akuma, who held her partner up against the wall with a smirk. “That’s not the item you’re looking for,” he smiled. “The name’s Malefactor,” he added. “Remember it. You’ll be seeing me a lot.” _

_ “Put him down,” Ladybug snarled. _

_ “Not until you say the magic-- Ah!” _

_ Chat Noir’s boot connected with the side of Malefactor’s head. The akuma fell, releasing the hero in the process. _

_ While Malefactor and Chat Noir fought, Ladybug pulled out her yoyo. _

_ “Lucky charm!” _

o0o

“Hey, Ladybug! Have you seen this?”

Ladybug and Rena Rouge followed Carapace’s voice to a wall beside the dumpster, where Carapace had unearthed a large splotch of red paint behind a pile of trash. “Do you think Chat Noir left this?”

“No,” Ladybug answered. “My lucky charm gave me a can of spray-paint. I tested it on the wall right before he...” She looked around the alley for a moment. “Let’s keep looking.”

“Hey, Ladybug?” Carapace asked. “What if we don’t find anything? I mean, as far as we know, he might not even be ali--Ow! Alya, what was that for!”

Rena Rouge said nothing, pulling her elbow away from Carapace’s side. Ladybug looked visibly more tense after his comment.

“We’ll find him,” she answered. “We have to find him.”

o0o

_ Ladybug held the red and black spotted can of spray-paint, staring at it in confusion while Malefactor and Chat Noir fought. _

_ “Did you get anything useful?” The latter yelled. _

_ “Um… I’m not sure!” She shook the can for a second and sprayed a sample of it on the wall. _

How am I supposed to use this?

_ “Look out!” _

_ A deafening pop behind her caused her to throw her hands over her ringing ears. She turned around and saw Malefactor with a pistol aimed at her. He panted with murder in his eyes as he glanced at the ground in front of her. _

_ She followed his gaze and found Chat Noir on the ground only a meter in front of her, clutching his chest. His face radiated pain. _

_ She whispered his name, falling to her knees next to him and scooping him up off the ground. _

_ She could feel the words coming out of her mouth, but all she heard was blaring silence. _

_ “Chat. Chat, look at me.” _

_ He kept his eyes sealed shut, screaming when she tried to move him. _

_ At least, she thought he was screaming. _

_ Ignoring his protests, Ladybug lifted him into a sitting position and leaned him against her. The ringing in her ears started to fade, and she could begin to hear herself trying to console him. Behind her, she heard faint laughter. _

_ “Coward,” she said, quiet enough to not be screaming in Chat Noir’s ear but loud enough for Malefactor to hear her. _

_ The sound of laughter faded behind her. _

_ Ladybug carried her partner to the side of the alley and leaned him against the wall. The hand she had placed behind his head was now bloody, which she tried to ignore. She leaned down next to his ear. “I’m going to lead him away from here. I’ll come back for you,” she whispered. “Don’t move until then, okay?” _

_ He gave her a small nod, and she squeezed his hand. _

_ “I’ll make him pay,” she said. _

o0o

They had searched nearly the entire alley before Ladybug found the bullet buried in a pile of trash. Ladybug passed the newly found copper piece from hand to hand, closely examining it. The bullet had been dented from the impact with Chat Noir’s suit, but the lack of blood assured her that it didn’t go through.

She sighed and turned to the other heroes. “I don’t think we’re going to find anything else here,” she said. “Thank you for helping though.”

“Trixx, let’s rest.” Alya took off the necklace as Carapace detransformed behind her.

“No, keep it,” Ladybug said. “You too, Nino. I’ll be needing some full-time help until I find Chat. You can give them back to me then.”

“Thank you, Ladybug,” Nino said. “We won’t disappoint you.”

Ladybug smiled. “I’ll be counting on that.”

o0o

Chat Noir sat up with a gasp as white butterflies went aloft around him in every direction. The sudden movement sent a stabbing pain through his chest, and he hissed, falling back to the floor. His stomach growled, and he shivered, hugging his torso as he moved closer to the wall.

He remained like that for a few seconds, until someone cleared their throat behind him. Turning to find the source of the noise, he found himself face to face with Hawk Moth.

“I need information,” the villain said.


	5. The Summer Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawk Moth goes to Chat Noir for information, and they both get more than they bargained for.

His room was cold.

Once Gabriel had worked up enough courage to go back to Adrien's room, he stepped through the door and immediately felt a shiver run up his spine. He glanced around one last time, hoping he'd been wrong.

It was the first time he'd wanted to be wrong.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a fencing trophy lying on the floor. He stepped closer and heard a crunch under his feet. He looked down at a broken picture frame and picked it up.

The photo was taken at a park. Adrien and some of his friends from school, two of which Gabriel recognized, seemed to be having the time of their lives. He could practically hear the laughter radiating from the photo in his hands as a tear fell onto the torn paper. He caught himself whispering to it. "Where are you, Adrien?"

He didn't notice Malefactor's presence until he spoke up. "Do you have any shock collars?"

Gabriel jumped out of his skin, nearly dropping the picture as the akuma snickered. "You're not supposed to be in here," he reprimanded, setting the picture frame on a shelf. "Wait, do I have any  _ what _ ?"

"Shock collars," Malefactor answered. "You know, that thing you put on a dog's neck and--"

"What do you need a shock collar for?"

"What do you think I need it for?" The akuma plopped into Adrien's desk chair, clearly amused by its spinning. He glanced up at the older villain's bemused expression and frowned. "It's for the cat, stupid."

In Gabriel's hesitation, the younger villain glanced around the room. "This must be Hawk Moth junior's room, huh?" He took notice of Adrien's computer screen. "Woah, you didn't tell me you had a daughter!"

"She's not my daughter." Gabriel reached over and turned off the computer. "And my family is none of your concern."

"Aight, I get it." The villain leaned back in the chair. "So is that a yes on the shock collar or no?"

"I don't..." Gabriel swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't have any."

"That's cool," the akuma answered, only halfway paying attention to Gabriel in favor of the spinning chair. "I'm sure I'll find one somewhere."

"Gabriel?" Natalie's voice came from the hall as she knocked on the doorframe.

"Door's open," Malefactor shouted, earning a glare from Gabriel.

"Sorry…" Natalie stepped into the room, holding a clipboard and adjusting her glasses. "Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all," Gabriel answered. "Malefactor was just leaving." He turned to the akuma, nudging the chair forward with his foot. "Weren't you?"

"Uh… yeah," he said, dragging himself out of the chair. "I need to look for something, anyway." He stretched on his way to the door. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

"We're not--"

"Catch you later," he said, strolling into the hallway mumbling "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" just loud enough for them to hear.

Gabriel sighed in annoyance and shut the door behind Malefactor. "Yes, Natalie?"

His assistant adjusted her glasses and looked down at her clipboard. "It's not much to go on, but I have some news about Adrien."

"Is there a ransom?"

"Not yet," Natalie answered. "There's a theory going around that Adrien's disappearance is somehow related to Chat Noir's."

Gabriel removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What kind of theory is that?"

"It's mostly conspiracy theories," she answered. "Some think Adrien and Chat Noir were both kidnapped. Some think Chat Noir kidnapped Adrien. Some even think Adrien  _ is _ Chat Noir."

"That's ridiculous."

"Probably," She adjusted her glasses again. "I just thought you’d want to know, considering..." She nodded toward the basement, set the clipboard down, and left.

After making sure she was completely gone, Gabriel stepped over and picked up the clipboard, skimming its contents.

There was a handwritten list in the corner of reasons different police officers had begun to think the cases were related. Gabriel had to read it twice. The list was startlingly long.

He had some serious research to do, and with a new set of eyes, he reentered his lair.

The boy was asleep, huddled against the wall with his back to the villain. Hawk Moth slowly moved closer.

The same blond hair. Similar if not identical height. All the signs pointed to an absence of coincidence. It made the villain’s blood run cold.

He also noticed the boy looked slimmer than usual. How long had he been here? A couple of days? Maybe more? He couldn’t seem to remember him eating anything since he’d been captured.

He kneeled beside Chat Noir and placed a hand on his shoulder.

The hero shot up, sucking in a breath as he grabbed his sides and fell back to the floor. He shivered and pulled his arms and legs closer to him.

He hadn’t seemed to notice the villain, so after a few seconds, Hawk Moth cleared his throat. The hero tensed for a moment and looked over his shoulder.

Hawk Moth hadn't noticed before how much blood covered his face.

“I need information,” he said.

The hero rolled his eyes, emphatically turning back around to face the wall.

Hawk Moth pinched the bridge of his nose.  _ Why are teenagers always like this? _

“This isn’t about Ladybug,” he added, sitting down in front of the boy.

The hero sighed. “You’re not going to leave until I answer your questions, are you?”

_ That voice,  _ Hawk Moth smiled.  _ That's not Adrien's voice. _

“No,” he answered, “so unless you really enjoy my company, you should let me ask my questions.”

Chat Noir sighed and turned around, revealing his dark, puffy eyes. “I guess I don’t have a choice,” he said, leaning against the wall behind him. “Go ahead.”

"A boy named Adrien Agreste was kidnapped a couple of days ago," Hawk Moth began. The boy’s faux ears perked up at the name. "I just want to know if you know anything about it."

The hero thought for a moment. "No," he answered. "I don't know anything. Now will you go away?"

Hawk Moth examined him again. He had blood on his face and in his hair, but the villain focused most of his attention on his stomach. "Has Malefactor been feeding you?"

"Will you leave me alone if I say yes?"

"I want the truth," Hawk Moth answered. "Has he given you any food?"

Chat Noir stared at him for a while, as if he were trying to read the villain's mind. "No," he finally answered.

"What would you like?"

The boy looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to get you something to eat. What do you want?"

The mind-reading stare returned. "Anything," he answered. "As long as it's not poisoned or anything."

"Any allergies?"

"Not with food."

The villain nodded. "I'll come up with something," he said.

o0o

_ Something _ , in Hawk Moth's terms, roughly translated to a sandwich, a water bottle, and a croissant.

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow at the assortment. "I didn't think you'd come back."

Hawk Moth set the plate down in front of the hero. "I hope you like all of this," he said. "I would have been here sooner if you'd told me what you wanted."

Chat Noir kept his eyes fixated on the plate as Hawk Moth slid it closer. He stole a quick glance at the villain and frowned, leaning against the wall and folding his arms. “What’s the catch?” He asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re being nice to me. That means you want something.”

“I want Ladybug’s identity,” Hawk Moth said, “but that is completely unrelated to the food.”

The hero looked down at the plate and then back at Hawk Moth. “Are you sure?”

“Were you wanting there to be a catch?”

“No, this is fine,” he answered, picking up the croissant. He bit a piece off the end and chewed it slowly before smiling and shoving half of it into his mouth.

Hawk Moth took the water bottle and poured some of the water onto a cloth. "Here," he said, handing it to the boy. "You have some blood on your face."

The hero took the cloth and scrubbed his face for a few seconds. When he pulled the cloth away, it revealed a multitude of cuts and bruises. "Did I get it?" He asked.

Hawk Moth nodded.

The boy grinned, grabbing the sandwich and taking a bite. "Can I ask you a question?" He asked with his mouth still full.

"Sure."

"What time is it?" He took another bite, glancing at the closed window.

"It's about noon," the villain answered, following the boy's gaze.  _ Should I open the window for him? _

"And I've been here for two days?"

"Three."

"Oh." He took a larger bite from the sandwich. "So who are you?"

The blunt question tore Hawk Moth's gaze from the window. "I can't just… I can't tell you that!"

"It was worth a shot," the hero smiled. "So where am I?"

"I can't tell you that either."

"Why," the hero grinned, "worried I'll escape?"

"No, but eventually, I'm going to let you go, and I'd rather you not know where I live."

"A-ha!" Chat Noir sat up, throwing his finger in the man's face. "I'm in your house!"

"What? No, you're-- I didn't say--"

"Yes you did!" The hero laughed. "You said you live here!" He threw himself onto the floor with laughter while the villain hung his head in defeat.

“You should see the look on your face! Pricele-- ow, ow!”

The boy grimaced, wrapping his arms around his chest. He sucked in a deep breath and hissed.

"Are…" Hawk Moth asked, reaching a hand out to help him. "Are you okay?"

"No." Chat Noir swatted his hand away. "I'm fine."

He grabbed the villain's shoulder and pulled himself off the floor. "I'm fine," he said. He leaned against the wall and let out a shaky breath. "This sucks."

Hawk Moth nodded before turning his attention to the trapdoor in the center of the room. He began to stand.

"Do you have any family?"

The villain looked back at the boy. "You know I can't answer that."

"Oh." The hero glanced back to the floor. "Well, I do," he smiled. "I live with my dad. He's always busy, so we don't spend much time together."

"I'm... sorry to hear that."

"It's fine." Chat Noir shrugged. "He gives really good hugs, so I guess that makes up for it."

Hawk Moth stole another glance at the trap door. "Well, make sure he gives you one when you see him again."

The sniffle next to the villain told him he'd said the wrong thing. He looked down at the boy and found a tear running down the hero's face. "I miss him," he said.

Hawk Moth wrapped his arms around the boy and let the floodgates open on his shoulder. In between seizing breaths, the hero tried to speak. "I…" He sniffed. "I…"

"It's okay," Hawk Moth said, letting the hero bury his face in his shoulder. "Take your time."

"I want… I want to go home."

"I know." He felt the boy's arms wrap tightly around his torso.

"I'm sorry."

He was sure, by now, that Chat Noir wasn't the only one crying.


End file.
